Monday Morning Rounds with CMS
In case you missed it, this is recent communication from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Subscribe to their email lists to keep up to date on all press and news releases.
Read MoreRegulatory Issues
Whole-Person Care Takes Center Stage in Rural Health Transformation
By Laura Young – A review of the state-submitted RHT abstracts shows that while workforce, telehealth, and hospital sustainability remain prominent, the most consistent throughline across states is the need to fix how information moves at the last mile.
TEFCA Government Benefits Determination Implementation is Here!
From the Health IT Buzz Blog – We all know what it’s like to get forms completed with all the right information (and to get it done quickly!), and patients seeking determinations on their eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance know this all too well.
HHS Wants Your Ideas to Accelerate AI in Clinical Care
By Steven Posnack – In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary’s office, the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released a request for information focused on one big question:
Home Alone: Don’t Be the Kevin McCallister of Interoperability this Christmas
By Buff Colchagoff – Every December I return to watching Home Alone. It is a holiday ritual and a reminder that chaos often begins with one small moment of disconnect. It makes for a delightful Christmas comedy, but it also resembles what many health organizations experience when they are left outside of broader interoperability networks.
It’s Time to Get Serious About Interoperability
By Nolan Kelly – There is a well-known Chinese Proverb that says “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” In January 2024, CMS published the 0057 Final Rule. That was the best time for health plans to get serious about interoperability.
The Hype Around the New CMS ACCESS Model
CMS will begin accepting applications for the 10-year voluntary model on January 12, 2026, with an initial deadline of April 1, 2026. ACCESS will begin July 1, 2026. There has been a significant amount of hype over the announcement throughout the industry. What are they saying?
Why TEFCA’s Hardest Problem Isn’t Tech, It’s Trust
By Steven Posnack – It wasn’t always so, but today we have technology available to exchange health information anywhere there’s an internet connection. What’s slowing us from doing so at nationwide scale is trust. The frictions are human and institutional. They cannot be addressed exclusively with technology.
ACCESS Model Expands Access to Technology-Supported Care in Original Medicare
New at CMS: Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions Model tests an outcome-aligned payment approach designed to give people with Original Medicare new options to improve their health and prevent and manage chronic disease with technology-supported care.